The Sunday Chocolate Review - Montezuma's Black Forest Gateau

Hello there!

Another Sunday.....another chocolate review!

Last week we took you to New York, this week we're heading to Germany for Montezuma's Black Forest Gateau pudding bar! Black Forest Gateau originated in Germany (and the real deal is so so good), but became popular in Britain in the 1970s when families would enjoy a pudding of chocolate sponge, cherries and lashings of whipped cream. Montezuma celebrates this pudding within their Great British pudding bars (which also includes Eton Mess and Treacle Tart).

Unlike Godiva who we featured last week, Montezuma is a relatively new chocolate brand, starting its production in 2000. This is a small British family business of self-taught chocolatiers, who wanted to reinvigorate the British chocolate making industry. 

This chocolate bar is nice and simple and features only two things......dark chocolate and cherries! Two of my favourite things - I love making cakes inspired by black forest gateau so I was really looking forward to trying to this bar!

Slightly more robust than the Godiva chocolate from last week, this chocolate had a really good snap when you tried to break it.  I was pleased to see the cherries throughout the bar - this was both aesthetically pleasing (the pink against the dark chocolate) and also meant that the bar had a good chance of tasting of cherries!

The dark chocolate is rich and bold, something I really like in a dark chocolate and its really well balanced with the cherry flavour. Its quite reminiscent of black forest gateau….the only thing missing is the cream! The cherry flavour is authentic and doesn't taste artificial. 

All in all I really enjoyed this bar of chocolate and would probably by it again. I found this bar in the sweet aisle of my local supermarket, it was on offer at about £2.00 for the bar. Because its a rich chocolate you can't gobble lots in one sitting (I tried) and therefore it will last you a little while (unless you are sharing....but I wouldn't recommend that!).

Have you tried this chocolate bar or any of the others in the pudding range? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for popping by today and don't forget to pop back next Sunday for another chocolate review!

Rachel 

The Sunday Chocolate Review - Godiva New York

Hello there,

Hope you've had a tea-riffic day!

We've decided to start a new feature on the blog.....one that is very dear to my heart! If you didn't already know I'm a bit of a chocolate fiend....I love the stuff, but I can be a bit picky (for example I hate the chocolate that Easter eggs are made from). There are so many different varieties and flavours of chocolate available now that it can be hard to know what to try next.....so we're taking the hard work out of it for you....any excuse to try new chocolates!

Our first feature is the limited edition chocolate from Godiva - their New York Apple and Salted Caramel chocolate. This is a blend of milk chocolate, apple and salted caramel and is supposed to take you on a flavour journey to America's Big Apple!

If you haven't heard of them before, Godiva are a luxury Belgian chocolate brand that has been making chocolate since 1926 (so they must be pretty good by now!). They now have stores in more than 80 countries worldwide and are quite famous for their fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate (which I am yet to try).

First off....the packaging is so pretty, both inside and out! If you're a sucker for packing like I am, then you will find this very pleasing! The illustrations are very sweet. They also have a London version, which is inspired by Eton Mess.....I've opted not to try that one as it has white chocolate as a base which I'm not really a fan of. 

The gold foil makes this feel like a luxurious bar of chocolate. However, I didn't have to go into a Godiva store to buy it.....I found it in the sweet aisle of my local supermarket, it cost me just over £2.00.

This chocolate bar includes Godiva's milk chocolate, apple pieces, caramel pieces and additional apple flavourings. The milk chocolate is so smooth and creamy, a really lovely chocolate....it's blended with pieces of salted caramel which are quite chunky in size and what can only be described as a bizarre apple flavour.

Its definitely an apple flavour, reminiscent of sharp green apples, but possibly slightly artificial. Its not unpleasant and it blends well with the chocolate and caramel flavours, but its just a bit bizarre!

As you can see from the photo the chocolate bar itself is slim and delicate and the fillings a good size - its nice to see good pieces of caramel throughout the bar!

Another slightly bizarre point is as you eat the chocolate, the apple pieces rehydrate themselves and you find yourself with real apple in your mouth after the chocolate has vanished.....do you think this counts as one of my five a day??

All in all a pleasant bar of chocolate, but it didn't leave me jumping for joy nor did it really remind me of my trip to New York. I'd eat it again if someone gave it to me, but probably wouldn't rush out to buy it!

Have you tried this chocolate bar - what did you think of it, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for popping by today, pop back next Sunday for another chocolate review!

Rachel 

Time for....something sweet, but disappointing

Hello there!

Happy Saturday! I hope you've had a tea-riffic week!

My week included a rather disappointing sweet treat.....a doughnut that visually was very appealing, but upon taking a bite I discovered that, in my humble opinion, was a real waste of calories!

Told you it was pretty doughnut! 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a chocolate doughnut purchased from a Sainsburys supermarket. I wouldn't normally buy mass produced cakes like this (yes I'm a cake snob), but there was something very appealing about those stripes and so I decided to take a chance!

The doughnuts come in packs of four from the bakery section.

To make them chocolate doughnuts, the rings have been filled with a chocolate filling....

I love chocolate...as you know I have a real sweet tooth, but I really love chocolate. There is something very comforting and indulgent about good chocolate.

 Unfortunately, this wasn't good chocolate.....nor was it good doughnut 

generally. The actual doughnut had an ok texture, it tasted fresh, but it had no real flavour. If I had tried this as part of a blind taste test I think I would have struggled to tell you it was a chocolate doughnut. The chocolate filling also held no flavour, it just added another texture to the doughnut.

To make sure I wasn't being unfair to the doughnut I also asked Joe to try one. When asked to describe his doughnut experience, Joe said "it was like a very disappointing bagel or piece of bread with some chocolate in it"....clearly I wasn't being unfair to the doughnut! 

I suppose at least Joe could taste the chocolate

All in all not the best doughnut experience and I wish I hadn't been lured in by those mesmerising stripes. But if you want a good prop for Instagram I can confirm that the doughnuts photograph really well!

What's the best doughnut experience you've had? Do you like plain jam filled doughnuts or something more fancy? Drop us a line and let us know!

Thank you for popping by today!

Rachel

Time for.....some afternoon tea chocolates!

Hello there!

Welcome back to Tea With me and Friends - we hope you're well today.

Recently I spotted a box of chocolates in Marks and Spencers that caught my attention.....

Yes, it's a box of chocolates inspired by classic British desserts and afternoon tea! As you can imagine I decided quite quickly that I needed to sample a box.....purely for research purposes!

 

The selection includes eight different chocolates, covering white, milk and dark chocolate. With inspiration for the fillings coming from both traditional puddings such as jam roly poly pudding and banoffee pie, and afternoon tea treats like bakewell tart and strawberries and cream.

Take a look at the menu....

When I first opened the box the smell of chocolate was so strong it made my mouth water - always a good sign! But would it be all style and no substance for these chocolates?

As I have a really sweet tooth and usually like most chocolates I thought I would recruit someone else (with a slightly less sweet tooth) to help give a more balanced view. My partner in crime for this review is my boyfriend Joe - he loves a cup of tea and his favourite cake is plain vanilla.....he puts jam on his scones before cream, but I suppose I'll let that slide for now. 

Joe declared that the chocolates looked posh when he first saw them (he's not usually a fan of fancy chocolates), but when he looked at the menu he seemed a bit more excited. 

He decided to try the banoffee pie chocolate first....

As you can see the chocolate has a thick milk chocolate shell, with a soft caramel and banana filling. Joe enjoyed the chocolate and described it as liquid banoffee pie. Not so good was the sticky toffee pudding, which featured a toffee mousse in a milk chocolate case. Although there was a toffee flavour, it wasn't particularly reminiscent of a real sticky toffee pud which was a bit disappointing. The mousse was also more like a heavy ganache.

However, overall Joe thought that if you like chocolates and you like puddings, you're probably going to like these chocolates!

I was tempted by the strawberries and cream chocolate and the bakewell tart....

I'm not normally a white chocolate fan, but in this chocolate it complemented the strawberry and cream ganache filling. Again, there is a good shell of chocolate encasing the filling. It was quite a rich chocolate....but I could imagine myself enjoying a couple of these with a glass of prosecco!

The bakewell tart chocolate had a weird texture which I couldn't quite put my finger on. However the flavour of almonds and cherries was very delicate and well balanced with the milk chocolate.

Overall this was a good box of chocolates, with a variety of different fillings. They would probably make a nice end to a meal at home with friends if you didn't fancy making pudding.....or you could keep them to yourself and just gobble them down with a cup of tea (I won't tell anyone I promise!).

Have you tried any afternoon tea inspired chocolate that we should try? 

We'd love to hear your recommendations!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Joe

Afternoon Tea News - Chocoholic's delight!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we are sharing with you a brand new afternoon tea which will be sure to delight chocolate lovers everywhere!

Launching today (14th April) is the all new The Montagu’s Green & Black’s Chocola – TEA

The Montagu’s Green & Black’s Chocola – TEA

The Montagu at the Hyatt Regency London have teamed up with Green & Black's to craft London's only entirely Chocolate Afternoon Tea! Treat yourself to this wonderfully indulgent Chocola-TEA.

Launched to celebrate Easter and the 25th anniversary of the iconic British brand Green & Black's, this afternoon tea features chocolate throughout all the cake stand.....yes even in the savouries!

Take a look at the menu here...

SAVOURY

Smoked Salmon Sushi Sandwich Cucumber, Dill Cream Cheese-Garnished with Green & Black's White Chocolate Flakes
Churchill Mini Burger with Chilli Chocolate-infused BBQ Sauce BBQ- Sauce infused with Green & Black's Dark 70% Chocolate
Venison and Milk Chocolate Pate with Fresh Raspberry-Braised with Green & Black's Milk Chocolate
Aubergine Mousse Éclair-Dusted with Green & Black's Organic Cocoa Powder
Coronation Chicken Sandwich-Homemade Green & Black's Chocolate Bread

SWEETS

Refreshing Lime Sorbet in Ginger Chocolate Cone
Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Macaroon Stack
Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Salted Chocolate DIY Garnish
Butterscotch Chocolate Tea Cake with Gold Leaf Garnish
Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Layered Mousse with Fresh Raspberries

EXCLUSIVE TEA

Maya Gold Cocoa Nib Tea- infused with orange, cinnamon & nutmeg a tribute to the UK's first ever Fairtrade product

The Montagu’s Green & Black’s Chocola – TEA

Apparently Sir Winston Churchill, the hotel's namesake, was rather partial to a bit of chocolate.....if so I think he'd approve of this indulgent chocolate focused treat!

For more information about this afternoon tea pop by The Montagu at the Hyatt Regency London website.

If you experience this afternoon tea we'd love to know what you thought...did the chocolate bread float your boat?

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Easter 2017 Afternoon Tea Round Up - Part 2

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends and our second look at the wonderful Easter themed afternoon teas that are available this year!

Today we're taking a look at the elegant offering from Hotel Café Royal,  a rather cute looking tea from Dorsett Shepherd's Bush and a chocoholics dream at Whittlebury Hall.

Enjoy an afternoon tea at Hotel Café Royal in London this Easter and you'll have a bunny joining you for tea.....well actually a rather cute macaron with bunny ears!

The bunny is an orange and pistachio macaron, and other Easter treats include Simnel cake with golden eggs!

Dorsett Shepherds Bush are serving hot cross bun scones at their Easter afternoon tea, as well as Chocolate nests, eggcellent biscuits and mini Easter eggs!

How cute are those biscuits?

Or how about this chocolate feast on offer at Whittlebury Hall...

This Easter afternoon tea features dark chocolate & praline brulee, spiced fruit & marzipan cake, milk chocolate & tonka bean brownie, Eton mess ice cream cone (yes you read that correctly!) and raspberry & lemon macaroons. Sounds tea-riffic!

If you enjoy an Easter themed afternoon tea this weekend we'd love to hear all about it - send us a photo on Twitter!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Let's celebrate Chocolate Week!

Hello there,

As you know.....it's currently Chocolate Week! Fuelling London’s love-affair with cocoa, a number of London venues have partnered with Divine to help chocoholics celebrate the occasion. During the week, cocoa bean connoisseurs will be able to indulge in an assortment of offerings across the capital.

Below, we have dipped into some of the capital’s sweet-toothed chocolate offerings:

Divine Chocolate ARTea at Lancaster London:

Having recently launched its hugely successful ARTea, Lancaster London will put a chocolate-y twist on the budding artists favourite with its Divine Chocolate ARTea. Inside the authentic painters box will lay an array of edible art, alongside tempting Divine chocolate treats.

State of the ‘Art’ Divine chocolate scones will be served alongside paint tubes filled with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam – giving you all the tools needed to devise a cocoa-creation. Lancaster London’s Divine Chocolate ARTea Afternoon Tea will be available from the hotel’s first floor Lounge Bar for £35.00 per person.

Chocolate Spa Treatment at K West:

K West Hotel & Spa has created a 'Good Enough to Eat’ Spa Treatment. The treatment will begin with a back exfoliation using a Mediterranean orange scrub, followed by a soothing sweet almond oil massage. A warm firming and hydrating chocolate mask will then be applied to the back, before moisturising it with a vanilla and cardamom oil. Available only during Chocolate Week, the limited edition K Spa treatment is priced at £90 per person, including access to the hotel’s award-winning Wet Spa facilities.

Guests will also be treated to the exclusive Chocolate Hopper Cocktail which will feature mint liqueur, white Mozart liqueur, double crème, Divine milk chocolate and dark chocolate Azteca bitters.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Chocolate Teapots!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.....as you know we love tea and we also love chocolate....and since it's Chocolate Week we've found something that combines the two!

I Just Love It offers lots of chocolate goodies.....including a chocolate teapot!

Chocolate Teapot  £24.99

This product is about as much use as a Chocolate Teapot. Whether you’re using it to fuel puns or for its proper use, we won’t judge on either. It’s a life-size teapot featuring 600g of chocolate and can be eaten in two ways; piece-by-piece or fill it with hot water to create a gorgeous fondue.

Don't fancy a teapot.....never fear they have a whole range of beautifully crafted chocolates in range of designs including Handcuffs £16.99, Spanner £12.99, Horseshoe £11.99, Bottle Opener and Cap £10.99,Nut and Bolt £12.99, Shears £13.99, Secateurs £12.99, Padlock £12.99, Wing Corkscrew £16.99, Twist Corkscrew £14.99 and Key £12.99. 

For those with food intolerances, they’re also gluten free!

Chocolate Golf Iron and Ball £15.99

To see more of the chocolate goodies on offer take a peek at the I Just Love It website!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

London Steakhouse Co - Divine Chocolate Cocktail!

Hello there,

London Steakhouse Co. launches Divine Chocolate Cocktail for Chocolate Week 2016 and it sounds so scrummy......

London Steakhouse Co. has partnered with Fairtrade chocolatier Divine to launch a Toblerone cocktail (£8.00) for the highly anticipated National Chocolate Week 10th – 16th October 2016. 

The chocoholics dream is an indulgent concoction of Divine’s Milk Chocolate Toffee & Sea Salt and Milk Chocolate with Whole Almond. It will be served in a chilled Martini glass in Chelsea (The Toblerone Martini) and as a Shake (The Toblerone Classic) in the City.

Guests will be able to sample the limited edition chocolate cocktail at the London Steakhouse Co. Chelsea and the newly refurbished City branch, during National Chocolate Week only.

London Steakhouse Co. consists of two of London’s finest steak restaurants. The British Steakhouses are renowned for their steak cuts which are dry-aged for 28 days. The restaurant also serves a selection of fish and vegetarian dishes with every dish being made from scratch on site every day. 

Anyone else drooling slightly???

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Chocolate Week at Sopwell House

Hello there!

Sopwell House is amongst selected top venues that are collaborating with Divine Chocolate to make sure that chocoholics across the country are spoilt for choice. Shall we take a peek at what they have on offer this week....get ready to drool....

Led by Head Chef Gopi Chandran, the culinary team at Sopwell House have created three delicious chocolate treats for their guest to enjoy. 

For the duration of Chocolate Week, the hotel’s Traditional Afternoon Tea will feature a rich Dark Chocolate Delice made from Divine’s 70% dark chocolate. Afternoon tea is served in the Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge or Conservatory Bar from 1pm until 5.30pm, and is available from £23.90 per person.

The Brasserie is the vibrant, open-plan kitchen at Sopwell House, which provides guests with a relaxed location for both intimate dinners and large celebrations. It will feature a special dessert of a White Chocolate and Strawberry Brûlée, served with Traditional Shortbread Fingers (£6.75). The brûlée is made from Divine’s white chocolate with strawberries, one of their six signature flavours.

For a more formal, fine-dining experience, The Restaurant provides a sophisticated gourmet menu, which for one week only will include a specially designed dessert for Chocolate Week using Divine Chocolate. Guests will be tempted by a silky smooth Milk Chocolate Mousse, with a Cherry Griottine Gel and Pistachio Ice Cream, which features on the set menu (2 courses for £30 or 3 courses for £35).

I told you you'd be drooling!

Sopwell House is a stunning 18th century Georgian manor house located in the village of St. Albans deep within the Hertfordshire countryside. Located only 20 minutes from London St. Pancras, the hotel is the idyllic getaway just outside of the hustle and bustle of the capital. The hotel is the perfect place to dine boasting two restaurants, elegant cocktail lounge, and conservatory bar, all of which look out on 12-acres of beautiful gardens.

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel & Lorna 

Tea-rific News.......It's Chocolate Week!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends! We're really excited this week because it's.......Chocolate Week!

The UK's biggest Chocolate celebration runs from 10th -16th October 2016, culminating in The Chocolate Show on the 14th-16th October at Olympia National Hall, London. Hundreds of events are expected this Chocolate Week around the UK, with the country’s top chocolatiers and chocolate companies, as well as hotels, bars and restaurants celebrating by hosting talks, tastings, demonstrations and sampling, as well as creating exclusive products, new launches, offers, chocolate meals, cocktails and recipes using some of the best chocolate brands from around the world.

Chocolate Week aims to promote fine flavour chocolate, the independent artisan chocolatiers and the chocolate companies who work in direct partnership with cocoa farmers, encouraging consumers to pay a fairer price for their chocolate.

Chocolate Week is organised by Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet, founders and organizers of the Salon du Chocolat around the world including The Chocolate Show London.

We're celebrating Chocolate Week at Tea With Me and Friends towers with a host of dedicated chocolate blog posts! So make sure you pop back during the week!

For more information about Chocolate Week pop by the Chocolate Week blog!

Thanks for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for some sweet treats....Milky Mischief from Monty Bojangles!

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends.

Now before you read any further I feel I need to warn you about how addictive today's sweet treats are! They look innocent enough....but eat one and you'll be hooked!!

Milky Mischief Truffles - Monty Bojangles

These are milky and chocolately cocoa dusted truffles.....and my goodness they are good!

They are made by Monty Bojangles the company who have the tag line "curiously moreish" - which in this case is very appropriate! If you take a peek at their website you'll discover such delights as Pistachio Marooned truffles, berry bubbly truffles and cookie moon truffles....so these milky mischief truffles sound quite innocent. But as their name suggests.....these little treats are mischievious!

These are new to Monty Bojangles in 2016....

Each truffle tastes of wonderful milk chocolate, which just melts in the mouth. They are light, but decadent and full of flavour.....but they melt away quickly.....making you want to stuff another in your mouth right away! Amazing!

Not great if you are watching your waist line or have no self control (like me!), but they are truly wonderful and would make a lovely gift for that special someone (or yourself!).

For more information pop by the Monty Bojangles website!

But remember...you have been warned!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for....A Guest Post....Urban Retreat Lounge, Harrods

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today!

This post we are joined by the lovely Melissa, who is sharing her recent afternoon tea adventure at the Urban Retreat Cafe at Harrods. The cafe is on the 5th floor of Harrods and is part of the Urban Retreat salon and spa. Melissa was enjoying her afternoon tea before heading off to see the Mariah Carey concert at the O2.

The Urban Retreat Cafe serves light refreshments from breakfasts to small plates, salads and sandwiches to full afternoon tea feasts or cream teas.

The afternoon tea menu includes:

Selection of open sandwiches

Spiced Coronation chicken 

Smoked salmon, lemon mayonnaise

English cucumber, cream cheese & herbs

Freshly Baked Scones

Cornish clotted cream & strawberry preserve

Miniature treats & fancies

Strawberry Eton mess "cheesecake" pot

Rich chocolate pot, salt caramel, hazelnuts & honeycomb

Mango & passion fruit slice 

The Chocolatier's truffles & macaroons 

Here are Melissa's thoughts: We had open sandwiches on nice rustic bread but there was only one of each variety. We also had one scone each, which was warm and fluffy and delicious - but there was only one tiny pot of jam and a dollop of cream between us. We asked for some butter which took about 10 mins to arrive and unfortunately we had to ask for it twice. 

The dessert pots, cake, macaroons and chocolate were all really gorgeous. 

We had a choice of tea from the menu, we both had Royal breakfast blend. However I asked for another pot and didn't realise we were charged an extra £5 for it. ( I've never had to pay for more tea at afternoon tea anywhere before!) 

I would go there again for an informal tea, it was enjoyable but definitely nothing special. Most customers were people who'd had treatments in the salon or staff on lunch. 

This afternoon tea is £20 per person, and so for the price offers a good, informal afternoon tea adventure - perfect for enjoying with friends on a shopping spree maybe?

For more information pop by the Urban Retreat website.

We'd like to thank Melissa for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us - we always love to hear about the scrummy afternoon teas you've been enjoying!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Afternoon Tea News.....Chocolate Afternoon Tea, The Langham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends....

So, as you know, its been Chocolate Week this past week....and we've already shared with you some of the fab chocolate things you can experience to celebrate and some scrummy chocolate recipes. Today, we have some seriously scrummy photos for you....from Cherish Finden, Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham.

To celebrate Chocolate Week Cherish has created this chocolate masterpiece....

Served from the 12th October – 1st November in celebration of Chocolate Week and using Langham N°150 Chocolate. 

Among other delights you will discover.....

Roasted pistachio and white chocolate mousseline with raspberry, 

Masala bubble tea with Langham chocolate agar agar and 

Langham N°150 opera slice with espresso reduction.

Cherish shared these photos on social media recently and they left me drooling ever so slightly....the shine on the chocolate is just amazing....

For more information about this tea please visit the Langham London website.

If you are lucky enough to try this afternoon tea in the next week or so we'd love to hear all about it - send us a photo on Twitter or Facebook!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Chocolate time! Recipes from Paul A Young

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - if you popped by over the weekend you'll know that this week is officially Chocolate Week!

We've already brought you a round up of some of chocolate experiences that you can indulge in this week....but today we thought we'd share some fab chocolate recipes from Paul A Young that you can try at home. So, if you haven't heard of Paul before he really knows his stuff when it comes to chocolate! Paul’s passion and creativity have won him numerous awards and led to him being ranked amongst the world’s best chocolatiers.

Paul A Young

Paul has several shops in London, where he and his team make all their creations completely by hand in the kitchens at each shop, in small batches and at every stage using fresh ingredients. If you haven't visited one of his shops and love chocolate you should definitely make a trip!

Now, in our eagerness to bring you these recipes we haven't actually tried them out at home yet...but they looked so good we wanted to share them with you straight away. Take a look...you'll see what we mean...

Chocolate bramble cocktail

From Paul A Young - I came up with this version of the classic bramble cocktail one evening when the air in the city changed from warm and balmy to the first cool breeze of autumn.

Chocolate bramble cocktail - Paul A Young

makes 2 cocktails

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LIQUOR

300g unrefined golden caster sugar

150g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

FOR THE REST

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

100ml gin (I prefer Tanqueray or Plymouth Dry)

25ml Crème de Mûres (blackberry liqueur)

8 blackberries

Lots of crushed ice

2 squares of your favourite dark chocolate

First, make the chocolate liquor. Put 150ml water in a saucepan along with the sugar and bring to a simmer. Allow to rest for 2 minutes, then pour over the chocolate pieces in a bowl. Whisk well and leave to cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile, place 2 martini glasses in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to get the frosted effect.

In a cocktail shaker or jug, place the lemon juice, gin, Crème de Mûres and 6 of the blackberries. Muddle and mix well until the blackberries burst slightly.

Place a pyramid of crushed ice into each glass and pour over the blackberry mixture. Now top up each glass with the chocolate liquor, then place a blackberry and a piece of dark chocolate on top of each ice pyramid.

Venezuelan chocolate pancakes with chocolate maple syrup 

From Paul A Young - This recipe is my homage to Sunday-morning brunch, which is one of those occasions when anything goes; in other words, be as indulgent and naughty as you like because it is certainly not the time to count calories or grams of fat. 

Feel free to add blueberries, nuts and sultanas if the fancy takes you. The syrup can be made days or even weeks in advance and stored in the fridge. 

Venezuelan chocolate pancakes  - Paul A Young

Makes enough pancakes for 4 people 

FOR THE PANCAKES 

25g Venezuelan 100% dark chocolate, grated 

200g buckwheat flour, or spelt 

1 free-range egg 

45g light muscovado sugar 

350ml milk 

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

25g unsalted butter, for frying 

FOR THE SYRUP 

Pinch of sea salt

250ml dark maple syrup 

100g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces 

Place all the pancake ingredients (except the butter) in a blender or food processor and whizz until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Leave the batter to rest while you make the syrup. 

To make the syrup, dissolve the salt in 50ml water in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then add the maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Pour on to the chocolate in a bowl and whisk well until smooth. 

Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick frying pan until quite hot and melt a generous wedge of butter until it sizzles. Spoon a small or large amount of the batter into the pan, depending on whether you want to make American pancakes or crêpes. Leave to cook on a medium heat until you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake, then carefully turn over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Place the pancakes on a plate and cover with foil until you have cooked the entire batch. 

Serve the pancakes laced with the warm syrup – be generous as the pancakes soak up a lot! 

How wonderful do they both look?

If you try these recipes at home we'd love to hear how you get on....send us a Tweet or leave a message on Facebook!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for some....Tea-riffic Tuesday Tea!

Hello there,

Happy Tuesday! We hope your week has started well!

My week started with a visit to see the lovely Pia who owns Piacha in London. Regular visitors to the blog will remember that we have visited Piacha, the fab London teabar, several times now and we're big fans of their tea range.

Pia was sharing some exciting news with me as they are introducing "tea for two" to their menu! The tea will include tea infused sandwiches, sweet treats and of course plenty of tea from the Piacha range. All very exciting!

On this visit I also indulged in a cup of their "Black and Cherry" - a scrummy Ceylon black tea infused with sweet cherry flavour......

Black and Cherry tea - Piacha

Now I have to tell you - this tea smells amazing! 

Open the packet and you are hit instantly by the mouth watering aroma of cherries, it's a rich, warming aroma which makes me smile every time.

Black and Cherry Tea - Piacha

For this tea you should use two teaspoons of tea per cup, add boiling water and infuse for 3 minutes. You can drink the tea with or without milk (I prefer without).

Once brewed the tea is a lovely amber colour and you can still smell those cherries. The flavour is rich and sweet, but not too overpowering - its a refreshing blend. And as you can see...I think it pairs really well with a bit of chocolate cake!

Black and Cherry tea with some chocolate cake
Piacha

For more information about this tea and the others in the Piacha range....or to find out about the tea-riffic tea for two pop by the Piacha website

Now, I know we are big fans of Piacha....but please remember that all opinions expressed on the blog are our own.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for...something a bit lighter

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends!

Today we are featuring something a little bit sweet, but perfect for those midweek sugar cravings when you don't want to over indulge too much (well they work for us!).

Have you tried...chocolate covered corn cakes? Yes, we know what you are thinking....has all that sugar and caffeine finally gone to our heads....but bear with us on this one!

Milk chocolate corn cakes - Kallo

Now these are from Kallo and come in at just 78 calories per cake making them a sensible treat (yes I know there are two on my plate!). If you haven't heard of Kallo before, they are a company who focus on food products for "sensible happy eating" - hence chocolate covered corn cakes! 

For Kallo a sensible diet should be about what you can eat rather than focusing on what you can't eat (sounds very sensible to me).

Let's take a closer look at the corn cakes....

Chocolate covered corn cakes from Kallo

These corn cakes have a thin coating of milk chocolate on one side, making them sweet enough to conquer a mild chocolate craving, but with less than 80 calories per cake they won't ruin your waistline (unless maybe you eat them all in one go!).

We were sent these corn cakes to try and if I am honest I was a little dubious at first - after all....we are all about cakes, tea and scones here at Tea With Me and Friends! I was concerned that they would be a bit like munching on cardboard. However, I am very pleased to report that there is just enough chocolate on the corn cakes to make them a very enjoyable treat.

Milk chocolate corn cakes - Kallo

For more information about these corn cakes and to see the other products in the Kallo range visit their website. 

We'd like to thank Kallo for sending us these corn cakes to try - but please remember this hasn't affected our taste buds and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Do you have a favourite Kallo product? Have you tried these chocolate covered corn cakes before? What did you think about them?

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Easter Afternoon Tea

Hello there,

With Easter just around the corner we thought we would share with you some of the scrummy Easter themed afternoon teas that we have discovered this year.

First lets start with the sumptuous looking Easter afternoon tea on offer at The Landmark hotel in London....

Easter afternoon tea - Landmark Hotel
Photo from website

On your sweet plate you'll find a white chocolate nest and a dark chocolate and praline egg to name some of the delights!

The Dorchester also have an Easter afternoon tea delight on offer....

Easter Afternoon Tea at The Dorchester
Photo from Website

This themed afternoon tea includes hot cross buns!

At Cafe Royal the chocoholics amongst us can indulge this Easter with their Easter Chocolate Afternoon tea....

Easter Chocolate Afternoon Tea - Cafe Royal
Photo from Website

This chocolate feast includes milk chocolate and violet operas and dark chocolate Easter eggs. You can also add a hot chocolate to your feast, picking from such delights as salted caramel and Black Forest!

Pastry Chef Ji Sun Shin has been creating masterpieces again....take a peek at the Easter afternoon tea that has been created at The Ampersand hotel....

Easter Afternoon Tea -  The Ampersand
Photo from Website

This tea includes chocolate nests with coconut mousse and shortbread chicks.

If chicks aren't your thing....how about an Easter bunny? Take a peek at the tea at the Corinthia hotel.....

Easter Afternoon Tea - Corinthia Hotel
Photo from Website

That macaroon Easter bunny looks too cute to eat!

Have you got an Easter themed afternoon tea booked? Or perhaps your creating your own Easter themed tea at home for your friends or family? Either way we'd love to hear from you and see your afternoon tea adventures!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna